As per the latest issue of the “World Road
Statistics” (WRS) 2010, brought out by the International Road Federation, (IRF)
Geneva, United States of America had reported the maximum number of injury
accidents at 16,30,000 in the world followed by Japan at 7,66,147 and India at
4,84,704 for the year 2008. The highest number of fatalities in road accidents
in the world in 2008 was reported by India (1,19,860)
followed by China (73,484) and United States of America (37,261).
The
analysis of road accident data received from States/UTs reveals that drivers’
fault is the single most important factor responsible for accidents (78%). Some of the other factors responsible for
road accidents are as under:
|
Fault
of cyclist
|
1.2%
|
|
Fault
of pedestrian
|
2.7%
|
|
Defect
in road conditions
|
1.2%
|
|
Defect
in condition of motor vehicle
|
1.7%
|
|
Weather
condition
|
1%
|
|
All
other causes*
|
14.2%
|
|
Includes
fault of driver of other vehicles, fault of passengers, poor light condition,
falling of boulders, neglect of civic bodies, stray
animals, other causes & causes not known.
|
The Ministry has taken the
following steps to minimize road
accidents in the country:
i. Road safety has been made an
integral part of road design at the planning stage.
ii. Road Safety Audit of selected
stretches of National Highways/Expressways.
iii. Establishment of driving
training institutes.
iv. Tightening of safety standards
of vehicles like helmets, seat belts, power-steering, rear view mirror.
v. Publicity campaigns on road
safety awareness.
This information was given by the
Minister of State of Road Transport and Highways, Dr. Tushar
A. Chaudhary,
in a
written reply in Rajya
Sabha today.
SK/kd